Graphic Knits Book

Interweave Press 2014

My book, Graphic Knits (Interweave Press 2014), was the most challenging project I've ever tackled. I developed the book as a side project on weekends and weeknights over a 2 year period. It demonstrates my passion for creativity, commitment, and concept development skills. For this full length hand knitting pattern book, I created 20 garment and accessory designs, wrote instructions in five sizes, and knitted most of the samples. The book was released in October 2014 and is currently available internationally. Photography by Joe Hancock and book layout by Adrian Newman.

Mood Boards

I started my process by gathering images that inspired me. Then I organized the images into themes, which helped me develop a color palette and style for the collection.

SKETCHES AND FINISHED GARMENTS

Sketching was an important part of my process. I brainstormed hundreds of rough ideas in my sketch book. When I found an idea I wanted to explore further, I developed detailed drawings in pencil, and colored them digitally. My sketches were the main content in my book proposal to the publisher, which comprised about 40 individual concepts. After the publisher accepted my proposal, and we agreed on terms, I got to work. Below, I show some of my initial sketches next to the finished garments.

Each garment required an immense amount of work—yarn selection, pattern swatching, sizing/grading, charting, sample knitting, and written direction. Sweaters took about 30-80 hours each, while accessories took around 15-30 hours each. I had one year to complete the book, then the publisher took over for the production phase—layout, editing, publication, distribution and marketing—which took another year. The publisher helped with a lot of marketing efforts like podcast interviews and advertising, while I planned a book tour with live events all over the country.